Machine for drying and finishing dry-cleaned garments



June 8, 1948. w E GAYRlNG 2,443,069

MACHINE FOR DRYING AND FINISHING DRY-CLEANED GARMENTS Filed June 6, 19464 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I 2 A5 .4 1 5''*\\ l m f {I V |I I H I I //I H I1' l IN VEN TOR.

WALLACE F. GAYRING ATTORNEYS.

June 8, 1948. w. F. GAYRING MACHINE FOR DRYING AND FINISHING DRY-CLEANEDGARMENTS Filed June 6, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

IN V EN TOR. WALLACE F. GAYRING ATTORNEYS.

2,443,069 MACHINE FOR DRYING AND FINISHING DRY-CLEANED GARMENTS FiledJune 6, 1946 June 8, 1948. w. F. GAYRING 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.WALLACE F. GAYRING FIG.4

ATTORNEYS.

June 8, 1948. w, GAYRlNG 2,443,069

MACHINE FOR DRYING AND FINISHING DRY-CLEANED GARMENTS Filed June 6, 19464 Sheets-Sheet 4 III-III.

INVENTOR. WALLACE F. GAYRING ATTORNEYS Fatented June 8, 1948 MACHINE FORDRYING AND FINISHING DRY-CLEANED GARMENTS Wallace F. Gayring, Minoa, N.Y., assignor to G. A. Braun, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application June 6, 1946, Serial No. 674,687

2 Claims.

This invention has for its object a finishing machine for newlydry-cleaned garments, that is, a machine by which the newly dry-cleanedarticles or garments, which have a residual of dry cleaning solventtherein, after coming from a centrifugal extractor are finished bydrying and deodorizing, that is, removing the residual solvent containedtherein, then by steaming and drying to remove wrinkles, all in onecontinuous cycle.

After the removal of the garments from the extractor, the garments areplaced in the machine where the drying and deodorizing takes place,after which, each garment passes to a station wherein the finalfinishing is done. By finishing is meant steaming the garment tocondition the material and soften the fibers so that heated air underpressure may remove the wrinkles by holding the material in a smoothcondition. Maintaining the material in a smooth state during the dryingnot only removes the wrinkles but produces a natural finish or lustre.During the deodorizing and final finishing cycle, the garments arehoused in a closed cabinet to prevent the fumes, heat and steam fromentering the room, wherein the machine is located.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations andconstructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in allthe views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 22, Figure 1.

Figure 2A is a fragmentary detail view of the actuating mechanism andcontrol pedal therefor for the blower for forcing air and steam throughthe garment at the loading station.

Figures 3, 4 and are sectional views taken on the planes of lines 33, 44and 55, respectively, Figure 2.

This finishing machine comprises, generally, a closed cabinet, exceptfor a loading and unloading station, which may be provided with a door,a conveyor movable in a closed cycle in the cabinet and being formedwith means, as upright partitions, which with side walls of the cabinetprovide compartments for the garments, the conveyor being movable tobring the compartments successively to the loading and unloadingstation, where the finished garment is removed, and another garment tobe finished loaded in the compartment, operator controlled means forpro- 2 I jecting steam and heated air through the garment at the loadingand unloading station, and re-circulating it through the garment at thatstation, and means for passing heated air through the garments in theother compartments. The conveyor is actuated and controlled in itsactuation by suitable means or may be shifted by hand or manpower, andalso the flow of steam and of heated air at the loading and unloadingstation is controlled by suitable means, as pedals.

l designates the cabinetwhich, in the form shown in Figures 1 to 5inclusive, is cylindrical and formed with upper and lower chambers. 2designates the conveyor, shown-in Figures 1, 2 and 5 as mountedtum-table fashion on an upright axis in the cabinet I. It is here shownas embodying a central hollow pillow 3, upper and lower end walls 4, 5,and radial partitions 6, which together with the cylindrical wall of thecabinet, form compartments 1. Each of the partitions is formed with awiper or gasket 8 at its outer edge coacting with the inner cylindricalwall of the cabinet I. The cylindrical wall of the cabinet is cut awayat the front of the machine providing a door opening 9 for the loadingand unloading station. The cabinet is also formed with top chambers l0and H and bottom chambers l2 and i3, the top and bottom chambers i0 andi2 opening through the upper and lower walls of the loading station 84,the chamber l0 overhanging the loading station. The chamber I0 is hereshown as formed with a conduit 15 Y which communicates through a swiveljoint I6 with the upright axial conduit or hollow pillar 3 whichcommunicates at its lower end through a swivel joint at l8 with thelower chamber l2. The chambers II and I3 are common to all the remainingcompartments, that is, the compartments when not at the loading andunloading station. Preferably, a perforated nozzle or spreader I9 islocated on the conveyor in each compartment over which the garment, asG, is placed, which garment is suspended as by hangers 20 from theconveyor. The hanger is swivelled to permit the garment to be turned tomake all portions of the garment accessible from the front of thecabinet. The nozzle or spreader I9 is conical in form and of suchdimensions as to enter the lower portion of the garment and hold thegarment spread or open for the passage of air or steam projected throughthe nozzle. The nozzle or spreader is usually referred to as a, form,although it does not fit the garment to shape it. The conveyor may berotated about its axis by hand, the operator pushing against thepartition 7 or a form.

An electric motor ii is shown as located within the lower chamber i2.The motor 2| drives a double pulley 22 and through belt 23 drives ablower 39 and belt 3| drives blower 29. The motor is controlled by a.switch, as a. push button switch 2IA located within reach of the loadingstation. Steam is projected through the garment at the loading andunloading station by means v of a steam nozzle 25 located in the conduit12A and connected by a pipe 26 to a source of supply, the flow of steambeing controlled from the nozzle by a valve 21 operated by a pedal '23located at the front of the machine, where it can be convenientlyoperated by the operator at the loading station. Heated air is suppliedand circulated through the garment at the loading station through theconduit I2A, by means, as a blower 29, actuated from the motor 2|through suitable motion transmitting means, as the belt 30 (Figure 2A)running over a loose pulley 3| on a blower shaft and clutched to theblower shaft by means of a clutch 32 operated by a pedal 33 located atthe front of the machine, this pedal having a latch 34 which holds it inclutched position, the latch being located to be released by the footoperating the pedal 33. A heater H is located in the inlet pipe I2B forthe blower 29, this inlet pipe communicating with the upright conduit 3.The conduit HA is the outlet of the blower 29. The heater may be of thehot water or steam type, wherein hot water or steam is circulatedthrough the coils from an inlet to an outlet pipe 31 and 38respectively. Thus, the projection of steam and hot air into the garmentat the loading and unloading station is controlled through the pedals 28and 33.

Heated air is projected through the other compartments within thecabinet by a blower 39 located in the compartment l3 and dischargingthrough the bottoms of such other compartments, through the formstherein, and through the garments, the air discharging into the uppercompartment or chamber II and out through a suitable exhaust pipe 40.The blower 39 is actuated from the motor 2| through motion transmittingmeans including a, belt 23. A heater ll is located in the inlet toblower 39.

It will be seen that I have provided a machine for finishing garmentswherein two operations are combined in a single unit. Also, a machine inwhich garments are conditioned or finally finished with steam and hotair wherein said steam and air are confined within the machine and areprevented from entering the room where the machine is located.Heretofore, the steam and hot air has been allowed to escape into theroom. Also, a separate machine known as a dryeror hot tumbler has beenused to dry and deodorize the garments preliminary to steaming anddrying them.

What I claim is:

1. A finishing machine for newly dry-cleaned garments including acabinet, a conveyor movable in a closed cycle in the cabinet and formedwith means for providing with a wall of the cabinet a series ofcompartments, a hollow spreader nozzle in the bottom of each compartmentprojecting upward into the compartment within the garment to hold thegarment open, and means by which the garments are suspended over thespreader nozzle, the cabinet being formed with a loading and unloadingstation, the conveyor being shiftable to bring the compartmentssuccessively to said station, operator controlled means for projectingsteam and air through the form and the garment at said station, andmeans for re-circulatlng the same through the garment at said station,and means for passing heated air through the forms and the garments inthe other compartments.

2. A finishing machine for newly dry-cleaned garments including acabinet, a conveyor movable in a closed cycle in the cabinet, theconveyor having partitions with which walls of the cabinet formcompartments, the cabinet being formed with an open loading andunloading station, the conveyor being movable to bring its compartmentssuccessively to said station, the cabinet being also formed with upperand lower chambers into which the upper and lower ends of thecompartments open, there being two upper chambers, one for the saidstation and the other for the remainder of the compartments, and therebeing also two lower chambers, one for the compartment at said stationand the other for the remainder of the compartments, means in one of thelower chambers operable at will for supplying steam and heated air tothe compartment at said station, a return conduit communicating with theupper chamber for' said station and with the lower chamber for the same,and means for supplying heated air to the lower chamber for the othercompartments, and an outlet leading from the other upper chamber for theother compartments.

WALLACE F. GAYRING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,759,179 Wiesman May 20, 19301,763,193 Shields June 10, 1930 2,075,724 Jacobs Mar. 30, 1937 2,214,923Glover Sept. 17, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 326,044 GreatBritain Mar. 6, 1930 5 Certificate of Correction Patent N 0. 2,443,069.June 8, 1948. WALLACE F. GAYRIN G It is hereby certified that errorappears in the printed specification of the above numbered patentrequiring correction as follows: Column 3, line 49, after blower 39.insert the following paragraph:

The walls of all the compartments are formed by the radial partition 6.and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correctiontherein that the same may conform to the record of the case in thePatent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 14th day of September, A. D. 1948.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Aaaistamt Oommz'ssioner of Patents.

